Zoe’s Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Somerville

An unexpected Chinese food haven beyond Chinatown.

In search of an authentic Chinese dining experience that sidesteps the usual hustle and bustle of Boston's Chinatown, my friends and I recently took a visit to Zoe's on a Friday evening. The place was buzzing—a generally promising sign — and we were able to find a table without a wait. Despite the lively atmosphere, the service was impressively swift and attentive. The prices, slightly more affordable than those in Chinatown, were an added bonus.

We shared an array of entrees, starting with the Dry Diced Chicken. Encased in a crispy exterior, the fatty bits of chicken thigh brought a level of richness that made the dish enjoyable. House Special Fried Rice was a multi-protein extravaganza that featured shrimp, chicken, and pork. It was more buttery than typical fried rice dishes but oddly satisfying. As our meal progressed, we found the Shanghai Baby Bok Choy Toy to be a bit on the salty side. However, its lightness offered a much-needed palate cleanser, setting the stage for the heartier dishes that followed.

Mao’s Home Style Pork lived up to its name by providing a comforting, homely flavor that perfectly rounded out the previous courses. However, the pinnacle of our meal had to be the Tea-Smoked Duck. Though it was seemingly dry, the meat inside was incredibly tender and juicy. Each bite confirmed that this was quite possibly one of the best duck dishes I've had in Boston, or anywhere else for that matter.

Overall, our dinner at Zoe’s exceeded our expectations, and we will definitely come back to try the duck again and explore other...

I liked this place because it serves home cooking that you wouldn't find in many other so-called "authentic" Chinese restaurants. However, it seems like it's gone the way of many eateries -- sacrificing quality while hoping that customers won't be wiser.

Avoid the 'jumbo shrimp' appetizer. I don't normally order fried stuff as that's "Americanized," but we had kids present. It's just overpriced fried dough. Each piece is about 7 inches long so at first glance it looks 'jumbo'. 3/4 of the length is fried dough. At one end is a piece of misshapen shrimp that's maybe from a 21/25 bag (21 to 25 shrimp per pound, not small but not 'jumbo' by any means). The fried chicken fingers also had a lot of dough, but at least there is meat in every bite. We also ordered the 'crispy walnut shrimp' which I last remembered was quite good as the shrimp they used really were jumbo.

They have since downsized on not only the size but also number of shrimp served with the walnut shrimp. I understand about inflation cutting into profit, but either raise the price in line with inflation, or use the same quality ingredients, but use less in keeping with inflation. Don't scrimp on quality, or cheat customers with overpriced fried dough. I think I'll be...

The Sichuan food that Zoe's serves is a cut above most of the Chinese restaurants in the area, their more Americanized dishes are average. It's not as good as some of the other Sichuan places in the area, such as New Shanghai in Chinatown, but if you're in the area, it's always a solid option. The dry fried sichuan beef, a favorite of mine, is pleasingly chewy, but the percentage of beef(40%) to dried chilis (60%), though it makes for a delicious dish, needs to be reversed to justify calling it an entree portion. The pleasingly chewy twice cooked pork is a solid effort, as are the sichuan noodle soups. The cold appetizers, which tend to be larger portions than most Sichuan places, are a particular high point on the menu. The typical mall-stall type dishes are merely average, so if you're looking for solid renditions of more Americanized dishes, you're much better off heading to Mary Chung's in Central Square. The delivery is usually...